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PALO ALTO, CA – AUGUST 09: Palo Alto wide receiver Jamir Shepard, one of the top football recruits in the state who caught 19 touchdowns in the regular season as a junior, poses for a portrait on campus on Aug. 9, 2019, in Palo Alto, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

San Jose State cornerback Andre Chachere (21) tackles Fresno State wide receiver KeeSean Johnson (3) on a pass play in the first quarter at CEFCU Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group)

Palo Alto’s Davante Adams evades Bellarmine’s Ryan Le on a 43 yard touchdown pass play in the first quarter at San Jose City College in San Jose, Calif. on Friday, November 26, 2010. The Plao Alto Vikings played the Bellarmine Prep Bells in the CCS Open Division Semifinals. (Jim Gensheimer/Mercury News)

Fresno State wide receiver Davante Adams (15) breaks a tackle by San Jose State cornerback Akeem King (25) during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Friday, Nov. 29, 2013, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Green Bay Packers’ Davante Adams tries to break away from New England Patriots’ Logan Ryan during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Tom Lynn)

Palo Alto’s Jamir Shepard (3) celebrates scoring a touchdown against Los Gatos in the first quarter of their high school football game in Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Palo Alto’s Jamir Shepard (3) scores a touchdown against Los Gatos in the first quarter of their high school football game in Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

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PALO ALTO — Fresno State appears to hold a monopoly on wide receivers out of Palo Alto.

Three-star recruit Jamir Shepard announced Friday his commitment to the Bulldogs, thereby following in the footsteps on Green Bay Packers veteran Davante Adams and Arizona Cardinals rookie KeeSean Johnson.

“It just felt like home there,” Shepard said. “After my visit, I talked with my grandma and I told her that I possibly want to commit there, and she says, ‘I think that’s a good idea.’ And I just felt great about it.”

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Shepard, rated No. 6 on the Bay Area Preps HQ’s Fab 40 football players, chose Fresno State over a trio of Pac-12 programs — Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington State.

In front of friends and teammates, the 17-year-old read a note on Instagram live, then pulled out a Fresno State jacket out of his backpack.

“I put it on to let everybody know,” Shepard said. “It felt shocking, just because I’ve had dreams about this ever since I was a kid and it finally came true.”
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“He told me ahead of time, so I knew what he was planning on doing,” Paly coach Nelson Gifford said. “We had conversations about his commitment and what he thought about where he wanted to go, and I’m behind it 100 percent.”

As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Shepard enjoyed a breakthrough regular season with 48 catches for 1,074 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Adams (6-1, 215), a two-time Pro Bowl selection, won a state title in 2010 as a senior with the Vikings, when he had 63 catches for 1,094 yards and 11 TDs.

Johnson (6-1, 201), the all-time leader in receiving yards and receptions at Fresno State, finished with 58 catches for 1,015 yards and 14 TDs as a senior in 2013.

Did the Palo Alto-to-Fresno State pipeline impact Shepard’s final choice?

“It played a big role,” said Shepard, who is close friends with Johnson and met Adams once. “We’re all from Palo Alto and we’re all kids that came from a struggle and work 10 times harder just to be great, just to be the best of the best.”

“It certainly doesn’t hurt,” Gifford said. “Relationships are important in any business and it just appears that right now there seems to be a relationship between Fresno State and Palo Alto High School — and it’s a good one. I also just think it’s a really, really good fit for Jamir, for his needs and what he’s looking for academically and athletically. And in terms of the environment, proximity to home, I think there’s a lot of factors that are involved in the decision.

“In some ways it’s more coincidental than anything, but in this instance now we’re looking a three. It’s pretty cool.”

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Vytas Mazeika is a prep sports reporter for the Bay Area News Group. He covers athletics at every level, from high school to Stanford to the pros. Mazeika graduated from Carlmont High in 1994 and earned an English bachelor's degree from UCLA.